In two weeks, I will be starting full time at the comic shop I've been working part time for. So freakin' happy about it. :D

Spider-Man! in The Spider-Man and The Fly! (Hostess Ads #59)

On a site dedicated to making a wiki history of all things comics, comics ads should not be forgotten. Especially the ads for Hostess Fruit Pies, Twinkies, and other snacks. Starting in 1975, Marvel and DC heroes (and the Harvey characters!) spent seven years throwing Hostess snacks at a bizarre line of villains to stop their crimes. Although many of the villains were completely silly, they were created specifically for these ads, and in many cases, not even the names have been used again, since the ads stopped in mid-1982.

So I thought I'd show an ad here, and make a list of the comics I find it in, as I run across them. This list features: Spider-Man! in The Spider-Man and The Fly! As noted on the Hostess Superhero Advertisements page:

Captured by his insect-themed foe, Spider-Man was strapped to a table and ready to be vaporized. Dispatching his emergency Hostess Twinkie as a last resort, The Fly was momentarily distracted and allowed the web-head to gain the upper hand.

So Spidey's got a utility belt, which of course has that cool Spider-spotlight, but of all the things he can carry in the (never seen) compartments of his belt, he carries Twinkies? That's right up there with Bat-shark-repellent.

The name The Fly was first used by Archie ten years before this ad, in the May, 1966 Jughead #132. The Vincent Price movie The Fly predates them both, having been released in July, 1958. The original superhero version was less bug-like in appearance than the ad character, so it's possible that the Impact Comics revamp of the character borrowed from this ad for the design idea (it's also possible that big bug-eyed flies just generally bring this sort of appearance to mind).

Of course, none of these Flies is to be confused with that most excellent of Marvel characters, The Human Fly, real life stuntman and short-lived star of his own solo title.